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Posts Tagged ‘mapping’

The primary markets for geospatial solutions for Bentley software appear to be utilities and civil. As the data that can be put into a building information model becomes more complex and analytical, the need to incorporate some level of analytics and spatial information becomes greater.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a visualization by The New York Times:

“The space of electoral college calculators is fairly well-trodden, so at first it seemed hard to do something new. The big problem here is the combinatorial explosion (2^n): even if you consider only nine states, you have 512 possible outcomes! So, you don’t offer much insight by simply enumerating outcomes or allowing undirected exploration. The challenge is to preserve minute details (micro) while providing an effective visual summary (macro).

We settled on a binary tree early on, but it wasn’t until Shan had the idea of collapsing parts of the tree into “decision” nodes that the design clicked. By pruning subtrees below the 270-vote threshold, you reduce the complexity substantially. More importantly, you get a much faster sense of what matters: who wins! And from there it was “just” a matter of implementation and refinement.

The Superstom Sandy arrived at an inopportune time (not that there is an opportune time) that affected voter turnout in the 2012 US presidential election. Esri has created a map that explores precinct-level data from the 2008 election overlaid on FEMA impact zones for the disaster. Darker shaded counties indicate areas that were most damaged by the storm.

Apple’s iPhone 5 maps aren’t anywhere near as good as Google’s Maps, according to an article in ZDNet, but it doesn’t seem to matter because the two companies needed to separate since they are competitors in the mobile mapping market. What may occur however, is that new options might be in the stars.

Today CanWe Studios LLC, of Austin, TX, launched CanWeNetwork, a mobile app for business networking that uses geospatial technology and a powerful matching engine to recommend people nearby who you should meet for professional networking and business opportunities. This is an interesting development in the world of social business networking. Recommendations are based upon location, skillsets, shared interests and personality traits gleaned from LinkedIn profiles. If you are traveling, you might be able to visit people at organizations within close proximity to where you are staying. It would be easier to make those contacts than say, doing a Google search before you left on a trip. This geospatial technology encourages users to develop face-to-face connections that may lead to business connections.

CanWeNetwork is now available and can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Android Market (Google Play) by visiting www.can.ws/go.

“Social networks have made us more connected than ever but have had the negative result of limiting real life experiences,” said James Sinclair, vice president, CanWe Studios. “We can take a users’ LinkedIn profile and identify, with a high degree of accuracy, people around them they should meet because they are likely to succeed together. The app uses the power of big data and mobile technology to see and capture actionable opportunities that without CanWeNetwork would simply pass you by unknown. We believe that conversations create opportunity and that’s what CanWeNetwork does, it creates conversations.”

CanWeNetwork utilizes the most in-depth proprietary engine available, developed in-house by a team that includes the scientist behind one of the leading online dating services. The engine builds complex models of users through its Open Developer program and other sources and augmenting LinkedIn data. It is then applying statistical analysis to the models to predict the kinds of people users are most likely to succeed with. Strong privacy controls gives users complete control of how and when they are contacted and by whom.

The app will run in the background of your mobile device and seek connections for the user. One might hope that source data other than LinkedIn data might be also used in order to extend the reach of CanWeNetwork, but it is definitely technology to watch.

This application is not affiliated with nor endorsed by LinkedIn Corporation

Now you can monitor wildfires that are currently burning with Climate Central’s new interactive wildfires map. The flame icons represent wildfires currently active in the lower 48 states and Alaska. See link below:

The iPhone 5 is accompanied by a lot of buzz, and some of that is pretty exciting. Customers of past iPhone models will be pleased to know that the iPhone 5 is made of all glass and aluminum, making it the thinnest yet. It measures 7.6mm thick, 18 percent thinner than previous iterations. It features “Ultrafast Wireless,” thanks to GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE.